Going to the beach? There is more to do that just swimming and eating! There are lots of sports that can be played on the beach. Beach volleyball anyone?
Beach volleyball is believed to have originated in 1915 on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, while the modern two-player game originated in Santa Monica, California. It has been an Olympic sport since the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) is the international governing body for the sport, and organizes the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships and the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
Beach volleyball is a court sport where two teams of two players each hit the ball over the net with any part of their body, except on the serve, which must be hit with only the hand. In beach volleyball, the serve is initiated by the server tossing the ball with one hand and hitting it with the other hand over the net to the opponent’s side. The server must hit the ball cleanly without carrying, holding or throwing it. The serve must also clear the net and land within the opponent’s playing area. The server has two options for serving: underhand or overhand. In an underhand serve, the server holds the ball with one hand and strikes it with the other hand below waist level. In an overhand serve, the server tosses the ball with one hand and strikes it with the other hand above their head.
Each team can touch the ball three times maximum before returning it to the opponent’s side. The objective is to make the ball land within the opponent’s playing area or prevent them from legally returning it. The game is a best-of-three set contest, with the first two sets played to 21 points and the third set, if needed, played to 15 points. Teams must have a two-point advantage to win a set. A side change occurs every seven points in the first two sets and every five points in the third set. Each team has two timeouts per set with a duration of 30 seconds each. There are some illegal moves and hits that are not allowed, such as hand touches, tips, and dinks.
In beach volleyball, points are scored when the ball lands within the opponent’s playing area or when the opponent commits a fault. A fault is any action that violates the rules of the game. A team wins a set by scoring 21 points with a two-point advantage. If both teams are tied at 20 points, the set continues until one team has a two-point advantage or until a team reaches 25 points. If a third set is needed to determine the winner of the match, it is played to 15 points with a two-point advantage.
For a comprehensive list of beach sports go to:
List of beach sports – Wikipedia